SOLAR: Wyoming lawmakers advance a utility-backed bill that would repeal net metering, which an advocate says if passed “essentially kills” the rooftop solar industry in the state. (Casper Star-Tribune)

ALSO:
• Hawaii’s largest utility announces a new program to speed up rooftop solar connections. (Honolulu Advertiser)
• A new online portal matches consumers seeking to join community solar with projects in Colorado and eight other states. (Energy News Network)

OIL & GAS:
• On the last full day of President Trump’s term, the Bureau of Land Management formally issues drilling leases for 685 square miles of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which one Indigenous leader calls a “cowardly assault” on her people. (Associated Press)
• Federal regulators rule that the controversial Jordan Cove liquified gas project cannot move forward without a key Oregon water permit. (Associated Press)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• Native American tribes want the Biden administration to strike a balance between pursuing renewable energy goals and protecting culturally important areas, especially in the West. (Arizona Republic)
• Executive orders closing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protecting national monuments in the West are among those expected to be issued today by President-elect Joe Biden after his inauguration. (Los Angeles Times)

CLIMATE: A Cal Fire spokesman acknowledges that California’s fire season is being adversely impacted by climate change. (Bloomberg) 

UTILITIES: Xcel Energy is seeking permission from Colorado regulators to bill ratepayers nearly $590 million to mitigate wildfire risks. (Colorado Sun)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is making renewable energy a priority for the state’s post-pandemic “new energy economy.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A Washington-based clean-tech venture capital fund founded by Bill Gates raises $1 billion to invest in 40 additional startups. (Bloomberg)

EMISSIONS: The City of Los Angeles joins 27 states and municipalities in a lawsuit fighting a new Trump administration greenhouse gas emissions rule the city’s attorney says creates an “arbitrary” threshold. (City News Service)

HYDROPOWER: Idaho conservation groups want a federal judge to stop government plans for dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, threatening salmon and steelhead fish. (Lewiston Tribune)

GRID: The Idaho National Laboratory is working on technologies to detect and isolate possible cybersecurity threats to the nation’s electrical power grid. (KIVI)

MICROGRIDS: PG&E is developing four microgrids to support a North Central California county during future planned power outages. (Lake County News)

COMMENTARY: An environmental attorney says The City of San Francisco will be able to accomplish a lot more in building an equitable green economy with President-elect Biden in the White House. (San Francisco Examiner)

Lisa is a Lenape and Nanticoke Native American freelance journalist, editor and writer currently based in the U.K. She has more than two decades’ experience working in corporate communications and print and digital media. She compiles the Western Energy News daily email digest. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University; her specializations include data journalism and visualization. She is a member of the Native American Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Union of Journalists (U.K.).